Home, School and Community Links

Transcription

1 Home, School and Community Links Good communication between home and school is essential to the environment we work to create. The home is central to the development of the child. Both WETNS and the family strive to be mutually supportive of each other so that the child s education can be effective. This document was devised with the aim of creating strong communication between home and school. Parents are encouraged to: 1. Develop close links with the school and collaborate with the school in developing the full potential of their children. 2. Share the responsibility of keeping in touch & using the communication tools available e.g. Susan in the office, texts, website, Facebook, homework page, journals, notice boards, newsletters, s, etc. 3. Become actively involved in the Parents Association, BOM, Fundraising Committee etc. 4. Participate in policy and decision-making processes e.g. Code of Behaviour. Below are some ways in which the school communicates with parents: 1. Curriculum meetings are held at the beginning of the school year so that parents can be informed of the requirements of the new class and to outline the programme of work and expectations for the year. Parents are invited to have a look around their child s classroom and at their child s work at this time. 2. A standardised written report on each pupil is provided at the end of each school year. 3. Individual parent/teacher progress meetings take place during the year for all classes. 4. Teachers may consult with parents regularly or request to meet parents/guardians. Teachers may meet with parents/guardians of children with special needs more regularly. 5. The homework diary is used with 1st 6th class to relay messages. This must be signed by parents each night. Homework sheets are used for Junior and Senior infants which also must be signed. 6. Newsletters are issued fortnightly from the school in both hard copy and . They include updates on school, B.O.M. and PA news and notices of forthcoming events. Newsletters from the P.A are issued monthly. Board of Management reports are available on the school website. 7. Appointments with the Principal can be made through the office. Please keep in mind that Maria is a teaching principal. This means that she teaches full time alongside her administrative role. 8. Correspondence is generally sent home on Wednesdays with the youngest child in each family. 9. A Notice board for parents information is located at the school entrance.

2 10. The school uses text-a-parent for updates regularly. Make sure your contact details are up to date. 11. Parents are invited to school concerts and to children s choir events, shows, etc. 12. There is an Induction Day for parents of new Junior Infants in June every year. Parents and pupils are invited to the school and are welcomed to the school by the Principal, PA and BOM Chairpersons. Important individual information The school keeps a record of information that is essential in the case of an emergency relating to your child (contact names/mobile numbers, important medical information, relevant reports from outside agencies, family doctor etc.) as well as addressing any special health issues that may be relevant. It is obviously essential that this information is accurate, so please ensure that the school is kept up-to-date by checking regularly with our school secretary. Progress Meetings Formal timetabled Parent/Teacher meetings take place during the year for Junior Infants Sixth Class, however, if a parent wishes to arrange a meeting at any stage during the year in relation to a significant concern, they may do so by prior appointment. Parent/Teacher meetings aim to: Let parents know how their children are doing in school Inform teachers on how children are coping outside school Establish an ongoing relationship and communication with parents Allow teachers/parents get to know the children better as individuals Help children realise that home and school are working together Informal Parent Teacher Meetings To arrange a meeting to discuss a significant concern, a parent should give the teacher a note or ring the school secretary to make an appointment. In each case, the parent should give a reason for the meeting. The teacher will then give the parent a time at which they will be available to meet the parent. If parents wish to drop in lunch boxes, sports gear etc. this can be done through the secretary s office as it is important to keep class interruptions down to a minimum. Informal communication takes place early morning between teachers and parents while children are settling into their classroom.

3 Classroom Charters (These are on display in all classrooms) Welcome to our classroom! W.E.T.N.S welcomes the involvement of parents/guardians in the education of their children because this is beneficial to the educational, emotional and social development of students. It also fosters the school s community spirit. This depends on everybody s goodwill and the following points are intended to ensure the children, their parents and the staff benefit to the maximum extent in a co-operative but structured environment. Junior/Senior Infants Charter Communication Verbal communication: Parents/guardians/teachers are welcome to pass on necessary information regarding individual children every morning between 8:40a.m and 8.50 a.m. Written communication: Parents/guardians and teachers can exchange information through the homework sheet or by letter/note. For more detailed discussions, parents/guardians are welcome to make an appointment through the office Access Parents are welcome in their children s classrooms between 8:40a.m and 8.50 a.m. daily. Please be mindful that lessons begin each day at 8:50 sharp. This means that children must be in their seats at this time. A bell at 8.50 a.m. each day indicates the start of lessons and that it is time for parents/guardians to leave the classroom. A bell at 1:30p.m. will indicate that the children s school day has ended. Parents should be mindful to be prompt at this time as teachers or other parents may have meetings scheduled. Conduct 1. Please remember the classroom is the children s and the teacher s workspace and should be respected as such. 2. Parents are encouraged to enjoy their own child s work. Allow your child to share with you what they wish to show you but please be mindful of the privacy of the other children and the teacher. 3. During the school day, the welfare of each child is the responsibility of the teacher incidents of concern should be referred to him/her. 4. Younger siblings are welcome in the classroom, but should be supervised by their parents at all times and prevented from interfering with the structured play and learning of

4 the class. 5. Please see our parental involvement guidelines regarding the role and responsibilities of parents during school trips and classroom participation which are available on the school website or in the office. 1st-6th Class Charter Communication Verbal communication: Parents/guardians/teachers are welcome to pass on necessary information regarding individual children every morning between 8:40a.m and 8.50 a.m. Written communication: Parents/guardians and teachers can exchange information through the homework diary or by letter. For more detailed discussions, parents/guardians are welcome to make an appointment through the office Access Parents/guardians are welcome to visit their children s classrooms between 8:40a.m 8:50a.m each Friday to familiarise themselves with their child s working space. Please be mindful that lessons begin each day at 8:50 sharp. This means that children must be in their seats at this time. A bell at 8:50a.m. each day indicates the start of lessons and that it is time for parents/guardians to leave the classroom. A bell at 2:30p.m. will indicate that the children s school day has ended. Parents should be mindful to be prompt at this time as teachers or other parents may have meeting scheduled. Conduct 1. Please remember the classroom is the children s and the teacher s workspace and should be respected as such. 2. Parents are encouraged to enjoy their own child s work. Allow your child to share with you what they wish to show you but please be mindful of the privacy of the other children and the teacher. 3. During the school day, the welfare of each child is the responsibility of the teacher incidents of concern should be referred to him/her. 4. Younger siblings are welcome in the classroom, but should be supervised by their parents at all times and prevented from interfering with the structured play and learning of the class. 5. Please see our parental involvement guidelines regarding the role and responsibilities of

5 parents during school trips and classroom participation which are available on the school website or in the office. Community Links The school has many ways in which we involve the local community and would hope to further develop this relationship. Some activities which we have already undertaken in the school which the community were involved in are as follows: Junior Achievement This is a programme whereby staff from local businesses volunteer to teach different class groups about business and money matters. Guest speakers we have had many people who have participated in sharing their expertise and knowledge with the children, staff and parents in the school. These speakers often come during school hours to reinforce curriculum subjects and also sometimes after school to speak with parents e.g. community guard, Dog s Trust, Order of Malta, It s Good to Talk, Sustainable Energy Ireland, etc. Religious Leaders as part of our Religious Programme in Wexford Educate Together we often invite local members of various belief systems into the school to share their faith/non-faith with the children e.g. Buddhist Monk, Catholic Priest, parents of certain faiths in the school, etc. Communions and Confirmations The school has established links with the local Catholic Church (Clonard), to facilitate any families who wish to undertake the sacraments of Communion and Confirmation. This takes place outside school hours. Culture Celebrations To link different curricular areas we often celebrate different cultures and countries within the school. This would be on a whole school basis where all classes from Junior Infants to Sixth are learning about the same thing e.g. Italian Day of Culture, Vive la France, Chinese New Year, etc. Any parents/guardians/community members who may have an interest or connection are invited to participate on these days. Sports - We have begun to develop links with local sports clubs in the area. We have GAA coaches who come from Wexford Park to teach the children during their Physical Education lessons. They teach Gaelic Football, Hurling and Rounders. We have developed a link with Clonard GAA club and had local club members in to coach the kids also. We had a member of the Menapians Athletic society in Wexford town come to teach athletics and an FAI coach who taught soccer. Both these men have also offered an ECA in the school. Library We make use of the local public library as much as possible. We have attended events there as a whole school such as Cork Circus Storytelling and lessons on Space and the Universe. We also utilise their block book loans which enables the school to borrow boxes of novels for different classes to read. Other Schools We have begun to develop links with other schools and would hope to develop these relationships further through sports, Credit Union quizzes, art competitions, etc. Green Schools We received our first green flag in the academic year 2011/2012. We are currently in the process of applying for our second green flag. We have developed a strong link with an Taisce through this initiative.